BangladeshPavel Rahman/APIf the year 2007 was a period of doing, the year 2008 was one of undoing for Bangladeshi politics. The steam with which the 2007 military-backed interim caretaker government had started its antigraft and political-reform program—by accelerating the widespread arrest of politicians and businessmen suspected of corruption involvement— suddenly ran out in 2008. One by one, politicians who had been behind bars for months were released on bail.

The height of the new direction occurred when former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina Wazed and Khaleda Zia, the topmost leaders of the two main political parties—Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), respectively—were released from jail. Hasina was discharged on parole in June, and Khaleda was released on bail in September. Both leaders were freed in the expectation that their parties would take part in elections slated for December.

The trials of the politicians that did occur were quick, and the verdicts were almost predictable and identical; for all but a few, jail terms of 13 years were handed down, and spouses were sentenced to 3 years. Some defendants were sentenced for having possessed liquor; in a Muslim society alcohol consumption was deemed a crime.

The caretaker government, which had initially embarked on a “Minus Two” policy to rid Bangladesh’s political arena of Hasina and Khaleda, changed course and encouraged the two battling begums to establish a dialogue on peaceful coexistence; the government also continued to purge politicians who had earned a public perception of corruption. Much of the credibility of the caretaker government was dented, however, when Khaleda’s son, Tarique Rahman, who was imprisoned on corruption charges, was released on bail in September.

Meanwhile, in July the authorities established new electoral rules, which, among other reforms, mandated that political parties register to take part in elections and that voters could reject all proposed candidates and select a “no vote” option. That same month the Election Commission undertook an $80 million overhaul of the country’s voter list, which was purged of 13 million names. More than 80 million voters were fingerprinted, photographed, and later issued identity cards. The election took place on December 29 and resulted in a lopsided victory for the Awami League, which took 230 of the 299 contested seats; the BNP won only 32.

On the economic front, it was a year of slight recovery from the previous year’s torpor. Imports grew by 26% during the 2007–08 fiscal year, and exports climbed by 16%, although much of the rise resulted from high international commodity prices. Revenue earnings grew by a robust 27%, mainly owing to income-tax collection. Nevertheless, high commodity prices prompted a rise in inflation, which peaked to double digits despite a good agricultural output. A number of food riots occurred throughout the country, putting fresh wage pressure on industries.

A huge blow was dealt to the $8 billion “manpower” export as Bangladeshi workers in a number of key Middle Eastern countries staged violent protests against low wages and exploitation. Several of these countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, decided to stop taking in any more workers from selective sectors in Bangladesh. Thousands were also deported.

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